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The scientist who created Frankenstein found developing his creation interesting, but it wasn’t until he declared – “It’s ALIVE”  that true excitement and realization of his creation came into being.  Similarly, many companies have toiled to create their values.  Unfortunately though, instead of coming alive, they dissipate into the day to day, dead and forgotten.

So HOW do you make your values come alive?

Easy – operationalize them.

Not easy:  implementation.  If it was easy you would have already done it.  So yes, this process takes some time, thoughtfulness and diligence.  But I promise you it’s worth it.

Dust off your values document and then have each department from Sales to IT to Finance look at how they can incorporate the values into the work they do daily.  Have them ask:

1)      What 3-5 actions does the department do, or will do, that truly reflect these values

2)      What 3-5 ways of being (communication, attitude, priority of timing) with customers, co-workers, vendors, and community do they do, or will do, that reflect these values

3)      What are 3 realistic examples of #2

4)      Moving forward, how will they make daily decisions based on these values

5)      How will they make tough decisions based on these values

Sometimes I hear a company say, “We don’t have time to focus on values, we have too many fish to fry.”  And my response, “You have to have oil to fry those fish in or they will simply burn.”  Operationalized values (and a great company culture) are oil – oil that allows for a business to hum like a well-oiled machine.  The humming here is important.  When employees are empowered to make decisions aligned with the company’s values enormous efficiencies take place creating a buzz of excitement – that sense of being ALIVE.

So for those of you who like examples, say one of your values is “Transparency.”  If each department/job role looked at how they could incorporate transparency here are some of the outcomes departments might come up with:

  • No gossip or back biting.
  • No hidden agendas.
  • No secret meetings.
  • Confessional gong (feel free to check out our blog on this one.)
  • Think about who we need to include on projects.  No intentional exclusion.
  • Don’t couch communication – be clear and say what needs to be said, and try to do it kindly.
  • Mistakes are allowed – especially if you own them, correct them and learn from them.
  • When things don’t go right, have candid, constructive and timely conversations to understand where things went awry and how to change processes to avoid in the future.
  • Sharing the good, the bad and the ugly of the finances in an accessible way.
  • Sharing the long-term vision of the company.
  • Admit to customers if the company has made a mistake and then promptly work to solve it and share the learnings with everyone else in the company
  • Be honest about when payments to vendors will be made
  • Provide realistic sales projections

Lastly, remember that in order to keep your values alive, avoid the biggest values killer: hypocrisy.  You have to be willing to hire and fire by your values.  Defend and stand by your values even when it’s uncomfortable or not the most profitable (I promise it will come back tenfold.)  Exceptions simply are not acceptable.*

*If you find yourself often wanting to make an exception, take the time to ask and uncover the unwritten value that’s trumping the stated value.  Should a change be made?  Why?  Due to convenience or ethics? What are you, your people and your company a stand for?

Photo Sources:

It’s ALIVE – http://media-cache7.pinterest.com/upload/259238522270023313_EkN5Ed7B_f.jpg

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3 min readLast Updated: October 12th, 2021Published On: May 23rd, 2012Categories: Organizational Development, Organizational Development ProcessTags:

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